ARRRRGGH you excited about Orlando yet?

Since we was lads we had always dreamed of taking to the high seas as members of a buccaneer crew riding the breeze to fortune and glory!! Alas, the geography of our homeland made catching on with a band of fearsome pirates difficult seeing as we are landlocked for a thousand miles in every direction. The dreaded Skull and Cross Bones never filled our skies and soon we lost heart, becoming true landlubbers as our boyhood dreams faded. Many years would pass before our inner scallawags would be uncovered once more! ARRRRRGGGGH! Pirates Dinner Adventure: Orlando brought to life the dreams of every little boy and girl who've watched the likes of Hook, Peter Pan, and the thrilling Pirates of the Caribbean. A more engaging, interactive, and action packed swashbucklers tale has never been told. Sword fighting, deceit, plundering, acrobatics, heroics, romance, and revenge were woven together through out the performance which also allowed the opportunity for crowd interaction that influenced the stories outcome. The impressive stage filled the building to the rafters with the sails and riggin' of a majestic pirate ship. That, combined with stunning costumes and special effects encouraged everyone present to remember their inner childhood cutthroat and live out a life long dream. Young children all around us screamed with joy and didn't take their eyes off the stage for fear of missing any moment of the action. For one night we were all little boys or girls again sailing the seven seas looking for adventure. We found all the adventure we could handle at the Pirates Dinner Adventure.

Our pirate Andre.
We cheered him on as he competed with the rest of the crew to fill the coveted post of first mate!


Take a look at this video for a sneak peek at the swashbuckling adventure:

THIS SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hey everybody we really appreciate all those who are taking the time to follow the most action packed 67 hours the two of us have ever experienced. Our time exploring Orlando and some of the crazy fun attractions found there flew by at warp speed. Although fortunate to spend some time in elegant downtown Orlando it was barely enough to open our eyes to a vibrant urban neighborhood. We are sitting in the Houston airport waiting for our flight home already pining for the good ol' Orlando days. We've got so many stories to tell and we'll get right to it as soon as we have kissed the wives and children. Stay tuned for more to come tomorrow. Thanks again to all those involved in putting this contest together and best of luck to all the other finalists!

The crews last night together

TRAVEL UPDATE- Well, we just landed. In Houston. Again. After a delay of an hour on the ground they decided the plane was fine and we took off. Well, the duct tape must have fallen off, because we turned around about an hour in and went back to Houston. Our new estimated arrival time in Calgary is August. We declined to join the pitch fork and torch mob started by the other passengers because we are still feeling the residual Orlando effects. Stay tuned....

UP, UP, & AWAY

Things just kept heating up in Orlando today. It was warm and sunny and we were off to yet another awesome venue. This time it was another non-traditional way of trying out a proven adrenaline rush- indoor skydiving! Sky Venture Orlando were great hosts and the instructors were tons of fun. For those of you who were like me and had never heard of indoor sky diving I'll explain just a little, though it won't do it justice. Take a wind tunnel and tip it on it's end. Then get the air ripping through there at more than 200 km/h and jump onto the column of air to experience the sensation of free falling. The instructors work with you to get your form just right and you get to "fall" in a safe controled enviroment. Perfect for those aren't quite ready to jump from a plane trusting only a thin layer of nylon. Some of the group caught on right away like Lindsay from North Carolina. She was a natural! The vidoe below should give you the full effect so have a look. Once again there were members of the local media on hand to get a handle on exactly what the 67 Days of Smiles promotion was all about and we ended up in the thick of things as usual. Watch Mikey's cheeks for a good laugh.

Mikey, Bryce and Tanja locked and loaded.

The pace slowed down come lunch time but only just a little. We came from a simulated atmosphere at Sky Venture to a very real one at Taverna Opa. The greek cuisine was divine and the authenticity was wonderful. We got to sample a variety of items off their menu, which was excellent, and the service was top notch. The servers got us up out of our chairs dancing and having a great time. Lunch was definetly enjoyed.

Authentic Greek

Kate and Daz from Australia

The Start Of A Big Day.

Up before the sun we grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading off on our first Orlando experience. The weariness was non-existent as this was one excited group of people heading out to Wallaby Ranch for some hang gliding. Right now there's people out there thinking one of two things, both equally valid questions. One, how are you hang gliding in Orlando when there isn't a cliff or mountain for hundreds of miles? Two, Wallaby Ranch? What do Wallaby's, hang gliding, and Orlando have to do with each other? Luckily we got answers to both of these burning questions. First, Wallaby Ranch is home to the first full time aerotow hang gliding flight park in the world. They make use of ultra-light aircraft to tow the hang gliders to 2000 feet and then disengage. It's a hang gliders heaven. The answer to the second question came from Malcom who owns and operates the ranch. He was kind enough to inform us that much of the hang gliding culture originated in Australia and so he honoured that by choosing the kangaroo's smaller marsupial cousin, the Wallaby, as the namsake for his flight park. Mikey got the chance to try it out and from all reports the view was breathtaking.

As an added bonus the morning show The Daily Buzz was there and we had the opportunity to do a short segment of live television!! Weather man Mitch was there for the live interviews. The thrills just kept coming as were joined by a celebrity who got in on the hang gliding action. Check out the video clip to see who we got to meet.

Check out some photos of our day:

We weren't joking when we said daybreak. Here's an Orlando sunrise. Brilliant.

Clay showing off one of the hang gliders he hopes to be flying with.

Maximum hang gliding weight 240...Clay a little more than that!

Mikey and Eric his hang gliding pilot. Not a bad ride at all.

The crew of The Daily Buzz morning show picking the Canadians brains on national television.

The Gangs All Here!

After geting settled down in our sweet theme rooms we headed to a mix and mingle BBQ where we had the opportunity to get to know our fellow contestants as well as the Orlando team a little better. We enjoyed the pleasant Orlando evening swapping stories on the patio of the vaction home. Suffice to say that regardless of which pair is chosen to represent Orlando they will do a wonderful job at showcasing all that this area has to offer. There's Kyle and Trina from Omaha Nebraska, Daz and Kate the fellow Commonwealthers from Australia, and Neebavi and Renee from the bright lights of NYC just to name a few. Each group is so unique and interesting and we've really enjoyed rubbing shoulders with them thus far. We're sure to mention them all as we continue to document our adventures so check out all the great pairs here .

A group of cool people enjoying a cool place.

The finalist for "67 Days of Smiles" in all our glory.

I Love It When a Plan Comes Together!

This morning we were met at the Orlando Airport by the Orlando CVB. Two of the other contestant pairs were there as well. What a great and funny group. We're excited to get to know everyone better and share some laughs. Our first contact with the CVB was Steve, a man much renowned and celebrated in Canada! Click Here to find out why. We didn't realize he was THAT Steve until we met him. And we thought we were hardcore hockey fans....
The Orlando CVB was kind enough to put us up in a spectacular vacation home from All Star Vacation Homes. We have to say these are some of the most exciting accommodations we have ever seen. We were so impressed we made a short video so you can share in our experience. We call this video "Bad Editing and Poor Lighting". We're pretty sure we're only a few ridiculously huge and unnecessary explosions away from being the next Michael Bay. Wait until you see our room, it is EPIC!

Tonight we have a group meet and greet BBQ with all the finalists and the entire Orlando CVB team. Stay tuned for pictures and more to come. We have received our full itinerary and let's just say you will want to check back often to keep tabs on our adventures!

BONUS PICS!!!!Backing up Miley


Mileys biggest fan! Literally! He's pushing 250!

Is this Heaven?

A Journey Of A Thousand Smiles Begins With A Sub-Par Inflight Meal

We got up bright and early this morning to start out on our trip to Orlando. Packed the bags, kissed the babies and the wives, and embarked on a unique experience that is sure to impact our lives in a significant way. It's still sinking in as we sit in the George Bush International airport in Houston; they picked us as potential ambassadors for the great City of Orlando!!! We are chomping at the bit to get our feat on Florida soil anticipating an absolute whirlwind of fun and exciting new experiences over the next several days. We literally racked our brains and couldn't for the life of us come up with a place we'd rather be heading to than Orlando (duh, who could?). The adventure begins in earnest tomorrow!

On a lighter note the curious/necessary process of flying stood between us and our adventure. Curious what that smell in the airport was? Necessary because try as we might we have yet to master cross-continent teleportation. The first adventure was the infamous in flight meal...Here's a glimpse of our day.

One of the few things Mikey can't do in Orlando- Get a goodbye kiss from his girl Jordyn.

Uncle Clay and Daddy saying bye to the girls. The wives declined the photo-op citing the early hour and lack of make-up.

Our last moments on Canadian soil.

In transit between Calgary and Houston, Texas. Starting to get excited.

It actually smelled really appealing....We'll leave it at that.

So after a 15 hour day, 2 hours of driving, 6 hours of flying, a 90 minute flight delay in Houston we have finally arrived in ORLANDO!!! Tired as all get out and hurrying to bed because tomorrow brings exciting things!!!! We'll keep you updated all the time as the thrills are sure to come fast and furious now. Looking forward to meeting everyone involved in the contest and getting out to see a little bit of why Orlando makes you smile.